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Voice-Activated Navigation How-Tos

Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore. Actually, where the heck are we? A common question when you’re not sure how to operate your MyFordTouch Navigation System! Throughout my time as a SYNC Specialist, I’ve had many questions about how to get to where you’re going handsfree with the Ford System. Read on to learn the basics for yourself!

-To Go Home: Pull on the voice command lever (behind bottom right side of steering wheel). The system will say, “Please say a command.” Wait for the beep, and then say, “Destination Home.” Be sure to speak slowly, loudly, and clearly. J If it goes through, you will hear the system say, “Setting destination.” Yay! You’re going home! Obviously this will only work if your Home Address has been programmed. If it has not, click on the top right-hand corner of the Touch Screen. On the top of the Navigation screen, you will see “Dest.”. Click here. Under “Dest”, choose “My Home”. If your address has not already been entered, it will ask you to enter it now. Ta-da!

-To Cancel a Navigation Route At Any Time: If you are already en route and want to cancel the current destination, pull/push the voice command lever/button (locations vary on different Ford models- however, they all feature the Voice Command logo, AKA, the screaming man ). The system will say, “Please say a command”. Wait for the beep, and then say, “Cancel Route.” The system will ask, “Are you sure you want to cancel your route?”. After the beep, say, “Yes”.

– To Enter A Street Address: Pull/push your voice command lever/button (Locations vary). The system will say, “Please say a command.” After the beep, say “Destination Street Address”. The system will say, “In Missouri, say the street address and city name.” After the beep, you may say the street address. Be sure to say the house numbers individually- not as “one hundred and six” or “one oh six”, but “One Zero Six”. For example, “One Zero Six North Charles Avenue *Pause* St. James.” You do not need to say the state- it already knows you are searching in Missouri. If the system understands you on the first try, the map screen will come up. If not, it will show you a list of addresses on the screen. The system will ask, “Say a line number.” Choose the line number of the correct address and say it after the beep. This will bring you to the map screen.

Once here, click “Set as dest.” on the bottom left-hand side of the screen.

If you are not searching in Missouri, simply answer, “In Missouri, say the street address and city name” with “Change State.” The system will ask you to say the state or province you would like to search in. After following this step, simple continue on as outlined above.

– To Find a Point of Interest/POI (Restaurant, Shop Name, Hospital, Gas Station, ANYTHING): Pull/push on the voice command lever/button. The system will say, “Please say a command”. Wait for the beep, and then say, “Destination Point of Interest.” The system will ask, “How would you like to search- by name or by category?”. Choose either.

*If you choose “By Name”, you will then be asked- “And where would you like to search- nearby or in a city?” You may choose either.

If you choose, “Nearby”, you will be given a list of POIs near you. If you say, “By City”, you simply need to say the city name after the beep, such as, “Cooter”.

After you choose your search area, you will be asked, “Say the name of the POI.” After the beep, you can say the name of a certain shop- for example, “Starbucks”, “Christopher Bank’s”, or “Sam’s Club”.

If there is more than one location that sounds like what you have said, you may be asked to say the line number of the correct choice. For example, if you said you were searching for “McDonald’s”, but there happens to be a “McDonna’s Pub” nearby, they may both be listed on the screen. In this case, choose the line number of the destination you want.

Once the correct name is chosen, you will be shown a list of all the nearby destinations that match what you said. For example, if you chose Sam’s Club (in St. Louis), you will be shown a list of six or seven Sam’s Club addresses in St. Louis. Choose the line number of the one you want to go to, and your map screen will come up.

If you want to get directions to your navigation, click “Set as dest.” On the bottom left-hand corner of the screen when it pops up.

*If you choose “By Category”, you will be asked, “And where would you like to search- nearby or in a city?” You may choose either. If you choose, “Nearby”, you will be given a list of POIs near you. If you say, “By City”, you simply need to say the city name after the beep, such as, “St. James”.

After you choose your search area, you will be asked, “Choose the category of the POI”. You will be shown a list of POI categories, such as “All Restaurants”, “Gas Stations”, and “Banks”. Say the category that you want- but be sure to say it exactly as it is on the screen.

Once you say a category, you will then be shown another screen with sub-categories. For example, if you had chosen the POI category, “All Restaurants”, you will now be shown a list of cuisine types, such as “American”, “Mexican”, or “Italian. The system will ask you to choose a sub-category. After the beep, say what you want- for example, “American”.

You will then be shown a list of the destinations that match your description. The system will ask you to choose the line number of what you want. After the beep, say the number of the correct place. The map screen will come up. If you do want to go to this place, click “Set as dest.” on the bottom left-hand side of the screen.

-“I’m Hungry Quick Command”: If you are driving and feeling hungry, simply pull the voice command lever and say, “I’m hungry.” The system will ask you, “And where would you like to search, nearby or in a city?”. After choosing where you want to search, the system will show you a list of the nearest restaurants. After the beep, say the line number of the restaurant you want to go to. This will bring up the map screen- to navigate to this restaurant, click “Set as dest.” In the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.